A Story of Plain Old Perseverance: Rose Aircraft Services, Inc.

Rose Aircraft Services, Inc. began with a dream, a family, and a one-man-shop. It was 1964 when the Rose family moved to Mena, Arkansas from Dallas. Jack Rose set up his one-man-shop in one corner of a hangar at the Mena Airport, then at the time a three-thousand-foot grass strip with only a few local aircraft.

They began an engine overhaul company and began to buy and sell used aircraft. Soon, upholstery was added to service inventory aircraft. In 1973, the fledgling company upgraded slightly to a property that was less than six thousand square feet. They began to offer paint services, and increased maintenance and light avionics. In 2007, they purchased the local FBO, Mena Air Center.

Today they operate on more than two hundred thousand square feet of hangar shop and office space, employ more than one hundred people, and offer the full range of interior design services. Keith Rose, son of Jack Rose now owns the company along with his sister Brenda. The company has always been family owned, currently on their fourth generation.

However, the word “family” branches out to cover more than names on their family tree. Many of the master craftsman in their Interior Completions and Refurbishing Division have been with the company for over twenty years.

Rose states, “Family is everything to us. Our children and grandchildren participate in the business, and our associates are considered family as well. We take care of one another, whatever their need, if we can supply it-- we do. For more than twenty years we have provided workplace chaplains to serve our people. We know if our employees are happy they will provide the products and services which in turn will make our customers happy.” Their motto at Rose Aircraft as seen on their web site is, “We take good care of our family so they can take good care of our clients.”

We at Arkansas Aerospace and Defense Alliance are proud to have them as members, as our mission aligns with theirs in taking care of our own. They have been with us for the last three years, and have attended our tradeshow, The Summit every year. Rose states that what he likes about AADA is, “having direct contact to other aviation enterprises in the State. It broadens our view of the industry and helps with perspective. I like the cooperative spirit of the Board and Leadership of the AADA.”

Keith Rose has worked collaboratively with the Alliance on legislative efforts such as establishing Arkansas as a “Fly Away State.” Rose states, “This simple change has resulted in more than half a million dollars in sales just this year as closing transactions can take place at our facility without penalty or sales or excise tax being levied on the aircraft.”

Rose has also worked with Chad Causey and the Alliance to codify sales tax exemption rules on services provided on aircraft over 12,500 pounds. In lowering the weight restriction will make Arkansas more competitive with service providers in surrounding states. AADA certainly agrees with Rose when he states “We hope to see this lowered in the next legislative session.”

This is not all Rose has hopes for in the future. The company’s goals for the next year is to grow their Corporate Aviation Business, and expand their services to General Aviation Operators of Single and Twin Engine Piston and Turbine Aircraft. Recently, they acquired an additional paint hangar which more than doubles their painting capacity.

Success is in their legacy, therefore we at AADA have no doubts of them accomplishing their future plans. Rose attributes his family’s success to the integrity the company was built upon, and their unyielding faith in God. Rose states, “Our core value is integrity. We genuinely work to do the right thing. We genuinely care about our customers, and try to treat every person and project with Christian integrity.” None of which are easy things to always believe or practice, but then good business such as this is never easy, as no great things are. It’s exactly as Rose states. It just comes down to, “plain old perseverance.”